Stocking and method of making the same



Aug. 22, 1939. HQUSEMAN 2,170,077

STOCKING AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed Jan. 5. 1959' 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 /o/ #M /02 /a/ Harry figo asem'arz 770/? EYJ.

g- 1939 H. A. HOUSEMAN 0,077

STOCKING AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed Jan. 5, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Punv 5 PLAIN B I Harry //::lsemani Patented Aug. 22, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Harry A. Houseman, Laconia, N. 11., assignor to Scott and Williams, Incorporated, Laconla, N. H., a corporation of Massachusetts Application January 5, 1939, Serial No. 249,523

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a stocking and method of making the same, and has particular reference to a type having its foot portion more closely approaching a right angle with its leg portion than stockings generally manufactured heretofore and having patterns in its leg portion, the leg portion being knit integrally with its foot portion.

As disclosed in the patents to E. A. Hirner Nos. 1,154,116 and 1,549,307, it is possible by the lnclusion of extra fabric at the bottom of the foot portion of a stocking to cause the foot portion as a whole to extend at an angle approaching a right angle with respect to the leg. This stocking provides a much better fit on the foot of the wearer than most conventional forms of stockings, this being particularly noticeable in the absence of creases over the instep due in the ordinary stocking to the fact that the foot tends.

to force the foot portion of the stocking more clearly toward a right angle with the leg portion than is the case in the stocking before it is put on the foot. Additionally, with a stocking of the Hirner type, a pull exerted on the top of a stocking, for example, by a garter, does not tend to tighten the stocking about the toe, but the pull is absorbed by the instep with resulting greater comfort to the wearer when the stockings are pulled tight. Wear at the toes is also reduced.

As disclosed in said Hirner patents, the stocking is one involving plain knitting throughout. In the event that it was desired to provide a patterned leg, for example, carrying designs formed by reverse plating or floating or having structural features such as ribs, it was heretofore necessary to-provlde a leg at the lower end of which were provided transfer stitches to be stitched to the upper end of a separate foot portion formed in accordance with the principles described in the Hirner patents. Such transfer stitches are invariably larger than the normal stitches running through both the leg and the foot, therefore providing an unsightly junction between the leg and the foot, and also impairing the strength ofthe.

stocking.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a stocking and method for producing the same in which a leg portion having structural or colored patterning as, for example, ribs, is knit integrally with a foot having the characteristics disclosed in said Hirner patents. By reason of such integral knitting of the leg portion with the foot portion, the objectionable looped junction is eliminated and a product superior in both appearance and strength secured.

A further object of the invention is to provide specifically a stocking in which the leg formation extends through the instep.

Even more specifically, it is the object of the present invention to provide a stocking and method of making the same in which continuous ribs extend from the leg through the instep.

The improved method particularly involves the formation of such a stocking on a type of machine having superposed cylinders between which selective transfer of needles takes place for transitions between stitched portions of the stocking containing various formations of loops.

The above objects of the invention and other objects which more particularly relate to details of the invention will become apparent from the following description, read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic elevation of a preferred form of stocking constructed in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic view illustrating in developed form the inner surfaces of various cams of a double cylinder type of machine adapted for the formation of the improved stocking;

Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating the arrangement in the machine of various needle controlling sliders carrying knitting and transfer butts; and

Figure 4 is a'view similar to Figure 1, showing the lower part of the leg and foot portion of an alternative type of stocking formed in accordance with the invention.

Referring first to Figure 1, there is illustrated therein a preferred type of stocking formed in accordance with the invention and to which the disclosure of the method described herein is made specifically applicable. This stocking comprises a welt 2 which, as pointed out later, comprises a series of courses surmounting a rib top! in which a conventional 1 x 1 rib arrangement may be embodied, which rib top in turn surmounts a ribbed leg portion 6, which, as specifically illustrated in Figure 1, and as described in connection with the method, is of the well-known English broad rib type or 6 x 3 rib construction. The plain stitched portions 8 are six wales wide, while the depressed ribs III are three wales wide, the ribs being due, as is usual, to the reverse fashions in which the loops of the contrasting fabric portions are interlinked.

At the lower end of the leg portion 6 there are several rounds, indicated at 12, which contain plain knitting except for the ribs at the upper portion of the instep, indicated at H. Below these rounds the heel, consisting of narrowed and widened portions I6 and I8, respectively, is

formed and in front of this is the widened gore 20 followed by the narrowed gore 26, providing extra fabric characteristic of the foot of the Hirner type stocking. Such arrangement of the gores is specifically illustrated in Figure II of Hirner Patent 1,549,307, referred to above.

Following the gore 26 is the foot proper in the upper portion of which the ribs formed at I are continued as at 30. (The lines shown in the drawings extending across the arch are merely to illustrate knitting zones; no visible lines are actually present in the stocking.)

The foot is finished with the usual ring toe 34, the toe proper comprising the narrowed and widened portions 36 and 38, respectively, and the loopers rounds indicated at 40 where the stitching takes place to finish the toe of the stocking.

Before discussing the variations of this stocking within the scope of the invention there will be first described the method of its formation upon the double cylinder type of machine commonly used for the production of the so-called English broad rib. This machine is 'of the well known Bentley type, as illustrated, for example,

by Spires Patent 1,210,866, dated January 2, 1917 and Bentley Patent 1,713,736, dated May 21, 1929. This type of machine comprises upper and lower cylinders which are driven in unison during both and lower sliders which are held in position by spring bands. The upper sliders carry transfer butts and knitting butts, the transfer butts being above the knitting butts, while the lower sliders carry transfer butts and knitting butts, the transfer butts being below the knitting butts. These transfer butts are for the purpose of providin transfer of the needles from one cylinder to the other, while the knitting butts are designed to cause the needles connected to the sliders to move through their proper knitting waves.

Sinkers of conventional type serve to cooperate with the needles in the usual fashion for the formation of stitches.

In order to control the sliders for the proper transfer of the needles there is provided at the height of the separation between the cylinders a separating cam indicated at 66 in Figure 2, which includes a slot having various cam surfaces for the purpose of moving outwardly away from engagement with the hooks of needles those sliders from which transfers are being made.

These machines are of well known type, and it will be unnecessary to go into them in greater detail in view of the disclosures of the machine patents just referred to. For the purposes of the present invention it will suffice to describe the cams cooperatingwith the various knitting and transfer butts of the sliders, which cams are illustrated in developed form in Figure 2.

These cams comprise a cam 80 provided with a rise 82 adapted to engage the knitting butts of the lower sliders and cause the needles which they engage to rise so that the loops they carry will clear their latches. A stitch cam 86, a center cam 88 and a second stitch cam 90 are associated to cause the lower sliders to move needles through a conventional knitting wave. Raising cams 92 and 94 are provided ,which are, respectively, operative during forward rotation and forward reciprocations and backward reciprocations. Raising pickers. 96 and 88, of conventional spring controlled type, are located in the vicinity of these various cams. A guard cam 84 is provided to insure proper motions of the needles after the rise 82 during forward knitting.

The lowering picker I00, which is spring controlled for its operation in conventional fashion, but also adapted for additional control so as to come into operation only'at proper times, is arranged to havean inoperative position above the inactive level of the knitting butts of the lower sliders and is located between guard cams as illustrated. It is unnecessary to go into detail with respect to these various cams, since they perform their usual functions in rotary and reciprocatory knitting, acting on the knitting butts of the lower sliders to,properly control the needles which they engage.

The knitting butts of the upper sliders are also adapted to be properly controlled for knitting when the cylinders'are moved in a forward direction, no provision being made for knitting during backward reciprocations because the needles in the upp r cylinder need not form stitches at such times. A latch clearing cam I02 is provided, this cam being mounted so as to be slidable toward and from the needle cylinder under control of the main pattern drum of the machine. Following this is a cam I03, designed to hold the upper sliders in lower position, followed by a cam I04, which is also adapted to be moved toward and from the upper cylinder under the control of pattern cams on the main pattern drum. Following this are cams I06 and H18, the latter being the stitch cam for control of the upper sliders to cause them to move their needles to draw stitches after taking yarn. Above the cam I03 is a race H for the passage of the knitting butts of the upper sliders, this race forming a continuation of the race llll. A race I05 below the cams I06 and I08 is also provided.

A lower transfer cam is provided at H2, this being under the control of a lever operating from the pattern drum of the machine, which cam H2 is .adapted to occupy three alternative positions so as to fail to engage any transfer butts on the lower sliders, engage long transfer butts thereon, or engage the long and short transfer butts thereon.

Similarly, an upper transfer cam H4 is provided, also arranged to be controlled through a suitable lever, not shown, by means of cams on the pattern drum of the machine so as to occupy any one of four alternative positions to miss all pattern butts carried .by the upper sliders or to engage successively butts of different lengths as will be presently described. Following the cam H2 is a cam H6 adapted to move the lower sliders downwardly after they are raised by cam H2 and a similar cam H8 following cam H4 is adapted to raise the upper sliders after they are lowered by cam H4. It will be noted that the cams H2, H6, H4 and H8 are arranged in sequence so that rise under the action of cam H2 and lowering under the action of cam H6 of the lower sliders is immediately followed ,by the lowering under the action of cam H4, and the rise under the action of cam H8 of upper sliders.

For the purpose of raising lower sliders having long knitting butts into an inoperative position during the formation of the heel and toe, there is provided a cam I22 which is located in a position to engage long butts only and which is arranged to slide under the action of controlling means in a vertical direction so as to be located either at a level substantially that'of the top of cam 00 or a higher level to raise the long butts as specified.

For the purpose of restoring lower sliders to action, there is provided a cam I located above the cam I22. cam I20 is mounted on the same slide as the cam 'I22. In the present case, however, a differential action is required and consequently the cam I20 is located at a fixed level, but is arranged to be moved inwardly and outwardly under the control of the pattern mechanism of the machine so as to occupy either one of two alternative positions, 1. e., an outer position in which it does not engage any knitting butts and an inner position in which it may engage both long and short knitting butts.

The cams which were not heretofore mentioned as being capable of adjustable positioning are, in general, fixed, but it will be understood that, with due regard to the necessary cam arrangements for performing the desired results, the various cams may be made adjustable and additional controlling mechanisms added to produce variations as desired for the formation, for example, of special heel, foot and toe structures. In view of the state of the art, however, these changes will be clear to machine designers.

Before referring specifically to the formation of the stocking of Figure 1, brief reference may be made to the mode of transfer of needles-from one cylinder to the other, Assuming, for example, that a certain needle is in the lower cylinder, and its hook engaged by a lower slider and is to be transferred to the upper cylinder, the upper slider will have been'depressed by'the cam I02 to a needle receiving position, its knitting butt moving below the cam I03. When the lower slider reaches the cam II2 its transfer butt will ride up this cam, causing the upper hook of the needle to enter the engaging opening in the'corresponding upper slider. At the same time, the upper end of the lower slider, which has a slightly cammed surface, will engage a slidable portion of the cam 60 and will be moved slightly outwardly thereby. As the rotation proceeds and the lower slider moves across the top of the cam II2, the upper end of the slider will be cammed further outwardly by a rise on the cam 36 so as to be disengaged from the lower hook of the needle. While such disengagement is effective, the cam H0 engages the transfer butt of the lower slider and pulls the slider downwardly. As the slider is then released by the cam 60 it will move back against the hook of the needle, but with its engaging portion below the hook so that it may slide downwardly independently of the needle which it has released. Thus the needle is left under the control of the upper slider.

The reverse transfer from the upper slider to the lower one takes place in the same fashion, the cams H4 and H8 being now effective to move the upper slider downwardly and then upwardly, the slider engaging on its downward movement suitable portions of the cam 66 and being disengaged from the needle by suitable surfaces on that cam.

The cams H2 and II4 may be active at different times or may be simultaneously active to effect a double transfer in a single course involving the location of certain needles in the upper cylinder followed by either immediate return of some of the needles so raised or of other needles to the lower cylinder. The slight angular dis- In the conventional machine, theplacement between the cams H2 and H4 permits such action to take place.

Passing now to a consideration of the specific formation of the stocking of Figure 1, reference may be made to the butt set-up diagrammed in Figure 3. In this diagram there are illustrated in conventionalized form the upper and lower sliders, indicated by the vertical lines in the upper and lower portions of this figure, adjacent the line of separation I24 between the long'and short knitting butt series of lower sliders. It may be assumed, for example, that the machine is of a type carrying two hundred needles. The numbers of the end needles of both the long and short butt series of lower sliders are indicated at the bottom of the figure, i. e., the hundredth needle of the long butt series of sliders is located adjacent the first needle of the short butt series of sliders. Long knitting butts of the lower sliders arenindicated at I26 and short knitting butts at 3.

The knitting butts of the upper sliders are also long and short, as indicated at I30 and I32, respectively, but only for the purpose of facilitating the entry of cams, and for this purpose the line of demarcation between the sliders is not at I24, but is displaced into the sole needle series, as indicated in the figure.

So far as transfer butts are concerned, the lower sliders are of three classes. First there are sliders I34 which contain no transfer butts, these sliders remaining always in the lower cylinder and holding their needles in that cylinder. Corresponding to these sliders there need not be any sliders in the upper cylinder, though to complete the set there may be sliders as indicated at I40 which also are without transfer butts.

Besides these plain sliders in the lower cylinder are sliders containing short butts I 36 and long butts I 38, as indicated. It will be noted that every other slider contains a long transfer butt I30, the sliders having short transfer butts being interspersed in a. regular fashion, as will be obvious from discussion of the knitting.

In the upper cylinder besides the sliders I40 which carry no transfer butts there are sliders carrying transfer butts of three lengths indicated at I42, I44 and I43. The arrangement of these various sliders will be evident from the discussion of the operation of the machine. For convenience of reference, there are indicated in the central portion of the figure the groups of sliders corresponding to the needles which form plain and rib stitches during the production of the leg. However, this diagram does not hold except for the leg, since'during the formation of the rib top every other needle is in the upper cylinder and forms rib stitches, while the intermediate needles are in the lower cylinder and form plain stitches. Similarly, during the formation of the heel, foot and toe portions, plain fabric is knit on many of the needles which form rib stitches in the leg.

In the operation of the machine to form the stocking of Figure 1, all of the needles following the formation of the previous stocking, will be in the lower cylinder engaged by the lower sliders. At this time, cam I02 will be in its active position to engage the knitting butts of all the upper sliders and cause them to pass beneath the cam I03.

The first course or courses may then be knit as plain courses, the needles being controlled by the lower sliders, the knitting butts of which will pass up the clearing cam surface 32 of the cam 'knitting of the 1 x 1 rib top, the first transfer of the needles occurs.

It will be noted that every other one of the lower sliders is provided with a long transfer butt I38. To effect the transfer, the transfer cam H2 is moved inward so as to engage only the long butts I38 and miss the short butts I36. By reason of this action, and the cooperation of the cam 86 with the upper ends of the sliders, as heretofore described, the needles will be transferred from those lower sliders carrying the long butts I38 to the corresponding upper sliders which now have their knitting butts moving below the cam I03. As the knitting butts of the upper sliders pass upwardly over cam I08, the needles thus transferred will take yarn as well as those needles which remain in the lower cylinder, and consequently a course having a 1 x 1 rib will be provided. As soon as the transfer is completed the cam I02 is withdrawn, whereupon the needles in the upper cylinder will not be caused to move downwardly so that the loops clear their latches and the knitting butts of the upper sliders will move directly from IN through the groove II 0 to be raised slightly by the cam I08 and then reenter the groove IOI. As a result, these needles do not take yarn, while the yarn feeds normally to the needles remaining in the lower cylinder.

Thus there may be produced a few courses during which loops are held on the needles in the upper cylinder. The result is a knitting of the welt 2.

It may be pointed out here that during all phases of the operation, sliders which do not carry needles pass idly through the knitting waves along with those which do control needles.

The knitting of the rib top 4 may then be begun merely by permitting the cam I02 to move into its active position, this operation taking place in steps by having it first move inwardly as the short knitting butts I32 of the upper sliders are passing it, and it will move to its full inward position as soon as it is cleared by these short butts and depresses the long butts I30. By the action of cam I02, the loops of the upper cylinder needles are caused to clear their latches. The path of the knitting butts of the upper sliders will then be below cam I02, below I08, above I04, I08 and I08, during passage by the last of which the needles take yarn, thence into the groove IM to be again lowered by the clearing cam I02. At the same time the needles of the lower cylinder are passing through the knitting wave previously described. Accordingly, the 1 x l rib structure of the top is knit,

The second transfer now takes place in passing from the 1 x 1 rib top to the 6 x 3 rib leg 6 having plain stitched parts 8 and ribs I0. The cam II2 is moved all the way in to engage the transfer butts of all of the lower sliders. cam H4 is moved inward so as to engage only the longest transfer butts I42 of the upper sliders. Accordingly, a double transfer occurs. As the lower sliders ride up the cam H2, all of the needles remaining in the lower cylinder and engaged by sliders having transfer butts I38 are transferred to the upper cylinders. (The needles corresponding to sliders having butts I38 are al ready in the upper cylinder.) Immediately, however, the longest butts of the upper sliders are engaged by the transfer cam H4 and consequently the needles corresponding to such upper ting of the heel.

The transfer sliders are transferred to the lower cylinder.

Study of Figure 3 will reveal that this action will result'in having in the lower cylinder groups of six needles with intermediate groups of three needles, each, in the upper cylinder. The continuedknitting, therefore, will result in the production of the 6 x 3 rib leg which is illustrated. At this point it may be noted. as pointed out above, that by more elaborate control of the transfer, particularly when a plurality of yarns are being fed to the needles to produce plating, there can be produced quite elaborate designs. It will be understood, therefore, that the reference to 6 x 3 rib at this point and in connection with the further discussions of the rib areas is only for purposes of illustration and that there is possible great latitude of variation in the production of structural and design modifications.

Knitting under the conditions just mentioned will continue until the point of change to the several rounds indicated at I2 preceding the knit- At the point of change to these rounds of knitting, the upper transfer cam H4 is moved inward to an extent to engage transfer butts of the two longest lengths of the upper sliders, i. e., butts I42 and I44. It will be noted from the diagram of Figure 3 that such butts occur on the upper sliders corresponding to the sole needles as well as on the sliders corresponding to the two panels on each side of the sole series of needles within the instep series. The needles belonging to those upper sliders which carry long transfer butts will have already been transferred to the lower cylinder, and accordingly the positioning of the transfer cam II4 just mentioned will result in the transfer of the needles engaged by the sliders having transfer butts I44. Thus as knitting continues, plain fabric will be knit on all of the sole needles as well as on those instep needles which include the two rib forming panels on either side of the sole series, i. e., the 22 needles on each side indicated at the left of the line I 24 in Figure 3. At the same time, the 6 x 3 rib knitting will continue on the other instep needles to give the resulting ribs indicated at I4 in Figure l. A

Following the formation of several courses at this point control is effected to begin the knitting of the heel. For this purpose, the cam I20 is withdrawn and the cam I22 raised to engage the long knitting butts of the lower sliders. By this action the needles engaged by the sliders having long knitting butts are raised to their inactive positions, the long butts rising above the level of cams 84 and 88 and below the lowering picker I00. At the same time, cam I04 is withdrawn from its active position so that the needles in the upper cylinder will also be in an inactive position so as not to engage the yarn, the knitting butts of their sliders moving along the path I05 below the various cams.

Reciprocation is now started and the raising pickers 96 and 98, which have been inactive, now engage and elevate the short butt needles one at a time at each end of the short butt series. The narrowing now continues forming the portion I0 of the heel pocket until there remain in action only those needles at the narrowest point of the heel.

The widening now takes place to form the portion IB of the heel pocket and is effected by permitting the lowering picker I00 to come into action. The lowering of the needles takes place in conventional fashion, two needles being lowered and one raised at each reciprocation on each end of the series of needles in action. Inasmuch as the cam I22 must be lowered out of its active position so that it will not raise long butt needles when'they are later picked down into action, it is convenient to provide that this cam I22 will be lowered at the same time as the lowering picker is rendered active.

The lowering of the short butt sliders and their needles now takes place for the formation of the widened part I8 of the heel pocket. Instead of stopping the lowering of the needles, however, at the ends of the short butt series of sliders, the picking action for widening is continued for the formation of the widened heel extension 20, long butt sliders and their needles being iowered one by one by the same type of double lowering and single raising operations as was carried out on the short butt sliders. It is at this timethat the lowering of the cam I22 becomes necessary, since otherwise it would raise immediately any long 'butt slider which was picked down.

By reason of this action, there is provided a suture along the line 22 terminating at some point such as 24 short of the loops on the needles carried by the upper cylinder.

In the preferred form of this invention there is, formed still another narrowed extension 26, which is provided by rendering the lowering picker I inactive so that needles corresponding to the long butt sliders are picked up one by one at each end of the series of active needles resulting in a further narrowing. This narrowing may be continued if desired into the short butt series of sliders to produce the desired formation in front of the heel.

During the reciprocatory knitting just described, since more than half the needles are rendered active for reciprocatory knitting, it is necessary to provide a sufliciently i'ncreased range of reciprocation to insure that proper knitting and picking will take place. This is, of course, readily accomplished by increasing the throw of the conventional devices for imparting reciprocation to the cylinders.

With the completion of the portion 26 of the stocking, rotary knitting is again resumed to form the foot. To effect this, the cam I20 is again moved into action to lower all of the long butt lower sliders and such short butt sliders as might have been raised in the event that the narrowing proceeded into that series, and the cam I04 is restored to its operative position to cause the upper sliders to pass through their proper knitting wave. As a result, knitting takes place in the foot in the same fashion as occurred in the formation of the rounds I2, i. e., the ribs I4 are continued through the foot as the ribs 30.

In order to form the ring toe 34, the transfer cam I I4 is moved all the way in so as to effect the lowering of all the needles in the upper cylinder to the lower cylinder. Plain knitting thus takes place .which is followed by narrowing through portion 36 and widening through portion 00 for the formation of the toe carried out in the fashion described for the formation of the heel. Following this there may be provided by the usual rotary knitting in obvious fashion the formation of the loopers rounds 40 at which stitching later takes place to complete the stocking. Thus the stocking is completed with all of the needles in the lower cylinder ready for the knitting of the welt 2 of a succeeding stocking.

It will be obvious that a minor variation of the above may be used to form the type of foot illustrated in Hirner Patent 1,154,116, namely,

a foot which does not have the narrowed go're 26. For the formation of such a foot it is, of course, only necessary to omit those operations which give rise to that gore and proceed with the formation of the foot immediately following the formation of the gore 20.

A third type of Hirner foot, illustrated in Figure I of Hirner Patent 1,549,307, is illustrated in Figure 4, from which its mode of formation will be readily apparent in view of the discussion of the machine operation advanced heretofore. The leg of this stocking is illustrated at I50 and is produced in the same fashion as the leg 6 of the modification of Figure 1. Likewise, the rounds. I52 are produced in similar fashion. Some modification of the heel, however, is illustrated to produce a greater turn of the shape of the stocking at the heel. This involves the formation of the pocket portion I59 by widening to the point I51. At this point the lowering picker I00 is rendered inoperative to produce narrowing to the point I58, followed by widening through the entire short butt series of lower sliders to finish the heel pocket by the formation of the portion I60. Following this, widening may take place into the long knitting butt series of lower sliders to formthe portion I6I corresponding to of Figure 1, the widening taking place to the point I62. At this point, the long knitting butt series of sliders may be removed from action by the rise of cam I 22 which is immediately thereafter relowered. Widening is thereupon resumed from the points I64 at the separation of the sole and instep needles to produce a suture between I64 and I62 on each side. During this widening the portion I66 is formed, adding excess fabric at the bottom of the stocking and providing for the turn of the foot in much the same fashion as the narrowed gore 26 in the-previous modification. Following the completion of this widening operation and without subsequent narrowing, operations are performed to form the foot and thereafter the operations are precisely the same as those in connection with the formation of Figure 1. The various ribs above the point I62 are continued as indicated at I54 and extend through the foot. One of the most evident modiflcations'of the product and method will be the formation of more elaborate designs than those secured by the mere formation of ribs running through the leg and instep. The 6 x 3 rib construction has been described as typical and involves no transfers of needles except in the regions of demarca tion between different portions of the stocking. However, needles may be transferred from course to course in the well known fashions to produce what amount to various areas of plain and rib stitches, i. e., concatenations of the loops which involve passage through previously formed loops of other loops in selective opposite directions. Such patterns are, of course, produced by more elaborate control of the transfer operations and are secured by suitable set-ups of the transfer butts on both the upper and lower sliders with corresponding controls of the transfer cams. For more elaborate control, it will be obvious that the sliders can be associated with jacks having butts at different levels cooperating with pattern controlling cams. Such designs as well as ribs of the type specifically disclosed are characterized by the selective reverse concatenation of the loops.

Such patterns can be produced while feeding a single yarn to the needles. In the case, however,

of the feeding of several yarns plating and reverse plating will occur in well known fashion, normal plating occurring in those loops .which are formed by the needles in the lower cylinder and reverse plating will occur in those loops formed by needles in the upper cylinder. Selective floating may also be secured in well known fashions to produce quite elaborate designs in the leg and instep. Wrapping may, of course, be accomplished in conventional fashion.

In addition to such patterning in the leg and instep, the foot itself is susceptible of variations consistent with the improvement of the invention. For example, the foot may be of the true split type or the rotary split foot type. Elastic yarn may be knit into the arch portion either alone or in conjunction with a non-elastic yarn and right and left toes may be knit in accordance, for example, with the disclosure of the patent to Barr 1,160,819. It will be clear that all such variations may be provided consistently with the improvements to which this invention relates.

Mention may be made of the fact that if desired the foot may be formed by knitting the heel and arch on needles controlled by short knitting butt sliders only, thereby avoiding the necessity for increasing the'stroke or throw of the needle cylinder. For example, by beginning knitting of the heel with all of the long butt sliders, and, say, ten of the short butt sliders on either end elevated, twenty-eight needles might be picked up, after which thirty-eight needles, or in other words, all of the needles controlled by short butt sliders may be picked down, following which ten of these may be again picked up. However, this entails some reduction of the amount of fabric in the sole portion, which fabric contributes to the turn of the foot, and is, therefore, not so desirable as the modifications previously described.

What I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A knitted stocking comprising integrally knitted leg, heel and foot portions with a gore formed by reciprocatory knitting located between the heel and foot portions and extending above the heel portion, the leg and instep part of the foot portion being provided with design structure comprising selectively reversely concatenated loops.

2. A knitted stocking comprising integrally knitted leg, heel and foot portions with a gore formed by reciprocatory knitting located between the heel and foot portions and extending above the-heel portion, knitting wales extending continuously from the leg portion into the instep part of the foot portion above said gore, and said leg and instep part of the foot portion being provided with design structure comprising selectively reversely concatenated loops.

3. A knitted stocking comprising integrally knitted leg, heel and foot portions with a gore formed by reciprocatory knitting located between the heel and foot portions and extending above the heel portion, knitting wales extending continuously from the leg portion into the instep part of the foot portion above said gore, and said leg and instep part of the foot portion being provided with longitudinally extending ribs.

4. The method of circularly knitting a stocking comprising knitting a leg portion by rotary knitting while selectively reversely concatenating loops to produce a design structure, forming by rotary knitting at least one course at the end of the formation of the leg which course comprises plain knitting except at the front of the stocking, forming a heel portion by reciprocatory knitting, forming a gore extending above the heel portion in front of the heel portion by reciprocatory knitting, during the reciprocatory knitting failing to interknit yarn with loops formed during the last course of rotary knitting of the front of the stocking, and, following the completion of said gore, starting formation of a foot portion by concatenating loops with those with which yarn was not interknit during the reciprocatory knitting, and selectively varying the loop formation in the instep part of the foot portion to produce a design structure as a continuation of that of the leg.

5. The method of circularly knitting a stocking comprising knitting a leg portion by rotary knitting while selectively reversely concatenating loops to produce a design structure, forming by rotary knitting at the end of the formation of the leg at least one course containing plain knitting through at least the extent of the heel and a gore to be subsequently formed, forming a heel portion by reciprocatory knitting, forming a gore extending above the heel portion in front of the heel portion by reciprocatory knitting, during the reciprocatory knitting failing to interknit yarn with loops formed during the last course of rotary knitting of the front of the stocking, and, following the completion of said gore, starting formation of a foot portion by concatenating loops with those with which yarn was not interknit during the reciprocatory knitting, and selectively varying the loop formation in the instep part of the foot portion to produce a design structure as a continuation of that formed in the leg portion.

6. The method of circularly knitting a stocking comprising knitting a. leg portion by rotary knitting while selectively reversely concatenating loops to produce a rib structure, forming a heel portion by reciprocatory knitting, forming a gore extending above the heel portion in front of the heel portion by reciprocatory knitting, during the reciprocatory knitting failing to interknit yam with loops formed during the last course of rotary knitting of the front of the stocking, and, following the completion of said gore, starting formation of a foot portion by concatenating loops with those with which yarn was not interknit during the reciprocatory knittin and selectively reversely concatenating loops to produce a rib structure in the instep part of the foot portion as a. continuation of the rib structure of the leg portion.

HARRY A. HOUSEMAN. 

